Dorothy Mackaye (1899–1940). Scots-American actress of 20s and 30s stage and screen.
In 1921 she met Ziegfeld Follies song-and-dance man Ray Raymond while performing in "Blue Eyes". Raymond left his wife for her and they had a daughter, Valerie.
In 1927, actor Paul Kelly and husband Ray Raymond squared off over the affections of Dorothy in a violent, alcohol-induced fight. Dorothy was out shopping at the time. Raymond, seriously beaten about the head and body, lingered for two days then succumbed to a brain hemorrhage. Kelly was sentenced to prison for manslaughter (he served a little over two years) and Dorothy too for concealing and distorting facts (she tried to convince police that Raymond had died of "natural causes"). She was released after 10 months.
In 1931, Dorothy and Paul Kelly were married after he was released from prison. They returned to New York, but eventually moved back to California, where they raised her daughter Valerie Raymond as Mimi Kelly.
Dorothy Mackaye's account of her experiences, Women in Prison, became a film, Ladies They Talk About (1933), with Barbara Stanwyck, and was remade as Lady Gangster in 1942.
Mackaye died in a 1940 auto crash, when her car swerved and rolled into a ditch. She walked home, and, seeking to assuage Kelly's concerns, insisted that she was not seriously hurt. However, she had suffered internal injuries, and died within hours.
- "Dorothy Mackaye was a petite, plaintive, red-headed, almond-eyed Scots-American actress..." https://www.flickr.com/photos/charmainezoe/5432373218
- "Described by The Times as a “red-headed charmer,” Mackaye moved west to pursue stage acting..." https://www.latimes.com/.../la-xpm-2011-may-08-la-me-then...
- "An energetic, blue-eyed, red haired youngster..." http://homebrewedmojo.blogspot.com/.../a-beating-death...
- "With her red hair piled high on her head, gold rimmed glasses on her nose..." https://capturedandexposed.com/.../the-san-quentin-follies/
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